


Love You Louder

by lastchildofkrypton



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Deaf AU, F/F, Fluff, bechloe - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25072339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastchildofkrypton/pseuds/lastchildofkrypton
Summary: Beca Mitchell, single mother of a deaf child, moves to New York City. Thankfully, she finds someone who makes it all a little easier.
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 36
Kudos: 208





	1. I wasn't ready then, I'm ready now (heading straight for you)

**Author's Note:**

> This is the single parent, Deaf AU, that literally no one asked for...

_Mama, what’s my new school going to be like?_

_Uh, big?_

Beca replies. Truth is she doesn’t know much about her daughter’s new school and she’s probably just as nervous about the first day as she is.

The move from Seattle hasn’t been easy. And even harder now, is that she will be completely on her own in New York. Her mother is back home, along with the rest of her family, her friends, her entire support system. Now it’s just her and Theo.

_Mama?_

_Yes, my love?_

_Do you think they’ll like me?_

Theo, even at 9 years old, is ahead of her years. She’s had to be. In order for their life to work she’s had to grow up fast. Beca has needed to be able to depend on her. It’s not something she’s proud of, but she knows that they wouldn’t be here any other way.

  
  


_They’re going to love you._

_How do you know?_

_Because they’re human. They don’t stand a chance, kid._

  
  


Theo smiles; it’s nervous, and small, and barely there, but Beca can tell she’s trying. She reaches out to take Beca’s hand and continues down the street. 

That’s one of the things that took her the longest to adjust to: walking with someone in silence. When Theo was a baby, she would babble and talk to her while pushing her stroller, but now that she’s older she doesn’t do that anymore. She knows that if she does, it will just frustrate her. She hasn’t gotten very good at reading lips; which Beca is secretly thankful for.

The school is on the corner of their new street. It’s a short walk, clearly not long enough to calm Theo’s nerves. Beca lets go of her hand and rubs her back for a second while they stare at the building. It’s much bigger than her old one. But it isn’t much to look at; a big brick square with decorations on some of the windows and the name of the school written in metal letters on the side. Beca turns to face her and signs.

_Are you ready?_

_I guess so._

_Okay, let’s go._

She leads her daughter through the front door, toward the principal’s office. She’s been here once before, a few weeks ago, for a tour, and to attend Theo’s IEP meeting.

When they walk into the office, the principal, Mrs. Finch, is sitting at her desk. Theo can’t help but think she looks very important. Nothing like the principal at her old school. He always had one too many buttons undone on his dress shirt and never wore a tie. Mrs. Finch is dressed in a beautiful purple dress with dangly earrings that catch in the light coming from the window behind her.

Beca gestures to one of the empty chairs. Theo sits and watches their lips move, taking turns in their conversation. Beca looks like she always does when she talks to other adults she doesn’t know that well; a kind, gentle smile, her posture is more upright and rigid than normal, and the desk helps her to keep a comfortable distance.

“I’m sorry, our interpreter should be here any minute.” Mrs. Finch says, giving a quick look to Theo before turning her eyes back to Beca’s.

“That’s okay.”

They both take a seat. Theo takes the time while they’re distracted to look around the room and watch the other kids out the window.

“How has the move been? Not too treacherous I hope.”

“Not too bad. I think Theo is finally coming around to the idea.”

“That’s good.”

Theo looks to Principal Finch and is met with another kind smile. She always finds it weird how different adults react to her. She knows she’s different, that’s no secret. She’s fine with it, really. She doesn’t know any different, but to some people it seems like it should be the end of the world, and they let her know it; not in their words, or even in their actions, most adults are too socially apt for that, it’s in the slight twitch of their eyebrows or twinge in their lips. They probably don’t even know that they’re doing it. Theo never misses it.

Mrs. Finch doesn’t know. But she’s doing it, just like the rest of her teachers will, just like all of Beca’s friends do; except for Aunt Emily and Cynthia Rose.

“Sorry, I’m late.” A young guy, in his early twenties, says. “The seven wasn’t running.”

He rushes into the room. He has a messenger bag slipping down his arm, a metal thermos in one hand and a file folder in the other. Theo turns when she notices her mom and Mrs. Finch turn toward the door. He extends a hand to Beca, which she takes graciously, trying her best to stifle a laugh.

“Mrs. Mitchell, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Beca’s fine.”

He nods. Maybe a little too emphatically.

“This is Forrest Khan, our newest in-house interpreter.”

“Nice to meet you, Forrest.”

Beca isn’t sure how this is going to go. He looks a little bumbling and awkward. Theo watches him, not really seeming to notice this. He bends down in front of her so they are close to eye level.

_Hey, you must be Theo. I’m Forrest._

_Hi._

_It’s nice to meet you._

_You too._

He smiles at her. He watches the way she pushes herself into her mother’s side. He doesn’t know how this is going to go, he’s never worked with anyone so young before. His heart pulls for her while he remembers all too well the way he always hated starting at a new school.

_So, I brought you something._

Her eyebrows raise up and she sits up a little straighter to see what it is.

_Mrs. Finch told me that you really like drawing. So I brought you this._

He pulls out a new sketchbook and a set of pencils and colored pencils. Theo’s eyes light up but she doesn’t take them. She looks to Beca for approval first.

_Go ahead._

Theo takes them and feels Beca’s elbow against her ribs.

_What do you say?_

_Thank you, Forrest._

It doesn’t go unnoticed that Theo has already given him a name sign. She uses the sign for ‘F’ to brush against her left hand; the one thing that has already connected them.

_No problem. I figured we could draw together sometime. I really like making art too._

_Okay._

And just like that, Beca feels much better about leaving her daughter in his hands. She can tell, just by looking at him that he might be just as nervous as Theo is. He stands back up and dusts off his knees.

“So do you have any other questions for me?” Mrs. Finch asks.

“I don’t think so.”

“Okay. Well you have my number if anything comes to mind.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Beca kneels down in front of Theo. She makes sure she’s watching her before signing,

_Be good. Do what your teacher says._

_I will._

_I’ll be here at three to pick you up. Go easy on the new guy._

Beca looks up at Forrest, who was watching the whole interaction. He winks at her and she nods; she knows he’s got her.

_I love you, baby._

_Love you more._

Forrest and Theo walk out of the room and down the hall toward her classroom. Beca watches until they turn the corner and she loses sight of them. She has too much to do today to sit around and worry; no matter how much she may want to.

  
  


Theo walks into her classroom, looking around at all the other kids. She wishes she hadn’t told her mom that she didn’t want her to come in with her. She wishes she was holding her hand right now. She looks up at Forrest and he is already looking down at her with a smile.

_You got it._

She watches Forrest and her teacher, Ms. Laurel, converse for a minute. She can tell that her teacher isn’t sure where she should look when she addresses her.

“Hi Theo, I’m Ms. Laurel, it’s nice to meet you.”

_You too._

Theo watches Forrest repeat her sign and watches his lips move while he translates what she just said.

Theo takes her seat, Forrest sitting right in front of her with enough room for her to see Ms. Laurel in her spot at the front of the class. She’s pretty, Theo looks at her hands; her fingernails are painted a light pink that matches her dress and her lipstick. She’s wearing a bracelet that slips down her wrist, just a bit, when her arm moves. She gestures a lot when she speaks and her features are expressive. She can already tell she speaks very quickly. Theo turns to Forrest when she starts to talk.

_Good morning, everyone. We have a new friend in our class today. Please make Theo feel welcome._

Theo watches some of the kids raise their hands. They ask questions but she doesn’t need Forrest to sign to know what they’re saying. Kids never understand why she is the way she is and she doesn’t need to watch another grown up try to explain it to them.

_Alright, I think that’s enough for now. Let’s open our math workbooks to page 27._

Theo looks down and starts working on the multiplication problems. She gets stuck on the third one but doesn’t want to ask questions already. She’s already deaf, she doesn’t want to look dumb too. She erases her first few answers and tries again. Forrest taps on the desk in front of her to make her look up. There is a little girl standing in front of her desk; she has red hair and the brightest blue eyes she’s ever seen. She gives a beaming smile and a gentle wave. She returns the wave but can’t quite muster the smile.

The little girl walks away and takes her seat a few rows over. Theo looks at her book again and works for another ten minutes in her own world of silence. She wonders how other people get any work done when they have to listen to the noise around them.

* * *

Beca walks back into the apartment with her arms full of grocery bags and the mail that’s already been forwarded to their new address. She drops it all on the table as her phone rings in her back pocket. Her heart flutters, thinking it might be Theo’s school, that something may have already happened, but it returns to normal when she sees her mother’s face on the screen.

“Hi mom.”

“Hi baby, what are you up to?”

Beca takes the milk and eggs out of the bag to put in the refrigerator.

“Just trying to get the house in order before I start work tomorrow. How are you?”

“I’m okay.”

Beca knows their move wasn’t easy for her mother. They’ve always been close. She misses her mom more than anything but she needed her life to take a new direction and this was the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Where’s my grandbaby?”

“At school,” Beca starts with a smirk, “and you knew that.”

“You caught me. I haven’t stopped thinking about it for the past three days.”

“I know what you mean. Dropping her off this morning, it felt like my stomach was going to climb out of my throat.”

“How did she seem?”

“You know, Theo. She was putting on her tough little soldier act but I could tell she was nervous.”

“You’ll call me tonight?”

“Of course.”

“Okay baby, I’ll let you go. I know you’re busy. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Beca hangs up the call and looks around the apartment with a sigh.

* * *

_Look what I made in art class!_

Theo comes running out of school holding a painting almost as big as she is.

_You made this? It’s beautiful._ Beca signs, she looks to Forrest. _How did the first day go? She didn’t give you too much trouble, I hope._

_She did great. I’ll see you both tomorrow._

_Bye Forrest._

Beca takes Theo’s hand and they walk down the street. 

When they get home, Jett, their blue and white pitbull runs to the door to greet them. She’s older than Theo but still acts like a puppy. Beca is thankful everyday for this dog; she took to Theo the minute they met and she seems to understand that she can’t hear because she hasn’t let out a bark since Beca can remember. Theo bends down and lets her lick her face. She scratches behind her ears and looks into the dogs eyes for just a second before standing back up. 

She takes a seat at their small kitchen table while Beca gets her a snack. She slides the fruit and yogurt in front of her and waits for her to look up after taking a couple bites to ask,

_How was the first day? Really._

_It was okay. My teachers are nice and Forrest is cool._

_And the other kids?_

Theo doesn’t answer and Beca knows what that means.

_They didn’t talk to you, did they?_

_No._ she shrugs. _They don’t know how._

_They’ll learn, just like they did in Portland. It just takes time._

_It’s fine._

Theo waves her off and takes her homework from her backpack. Beca knows the toll socializing, and having to constantly overcompensate, takes on her. She can only imagine how tired she is. Because, no matter how many battles Beca has to fight for her, no matter how many people she’s called ignorant, because they just can’t seem to look past what Theo is “lacking”, she knows it will always be so much worse for her.

_Do you need help with your homework?_

_No, it’s Language Arts. I got it._

Beca leaves her to do her work. She sits on the couch and looks around at all the boxes she still has to unpack. The street noise, although it’s been keeping her up at night, is a welcome distraction from the silence. She always assumed she would get used to it by the time Theo was this old but it still creeps up on her from time to time. 

She turns music on to keep herself company. It’s louder than she intended and she knows Theo can feel the vibration from the speaker when her head tilts, just slightly. But it doesn’t break her focus. They both work on their tasks until dinner time.

Beca fills two plates with Chinese takeout and brings them to the table. Theo puts her books away and takes her seat. She takes a few bites and laughs when Beca struggles with the chopsticks. Theo’s laugh is loud; pretty much the only sound she ever makes. Beca would do anything to make her laugh just so she can hear her.

The rest of the night goes quickly. They FaceTime Beca’s mom, Theo watches a little tv while Beca unpacks a few more boxes, and before they know it, it’s bedtime.

Theo climbs into bed. Before she’s fully settled, Jett jumps up and curls into her side. Beca sits on the edge of the bed, facing her, to read her a story. Beca is barely halfway through the chapter before Theo’s eyes are closed and her breathing is even. Beca is thankful because her right hand is starting to cramp. She tucks the blankets tighter around her and turns out the light.

This is the time of day that she’s going to need to get used to. Before, she and her mom would sit and watch tv, or drink a glass of wine and talk. Now it’s just filled with the same silence as the rest of the day. She pours herself a glass of wine and sits in front of the television. The news scrolls through their typical reel of horrifying stories and she needs to turn it off before too long. She decides it’s time for her to get some sleep too, tomorrow is a big day for her.

* * *

_You look pretty._ Theo says. 

Beca walks back into the kitchen after getting dressed. Lately she’s just been in jeans and whatever shirt she doesn’t care about getting paint on. Today however, she has pulled out all the stops; her hair is curled, she’s in a pantsuit and she’s even wearing heels.

_Thank you, baby. You almost done? We have to go._

_Yes._

Theo hops up and puts her dishes in the sink. Beca is thankful everyday for her kid’s resilience. She isn’t sure how she would have handled being the center of attention all the time because of her differences; Theo seems to take it all in stride, for now at least.

They walk down the street, hand in hand. When they make it to the schoolyard, which really just seems to be an unused parking lot, Beca lets go of Theo’s hand and signs,

_As soon as Forrest gets here I have to run. So give me a hug now, okay?_

Theo hugs her and kisses her cheek, which makes Beca smile.

_You’re going to kick butt today, Mama._

_Let’s hope so._

Forrest rushes up, _Hi guys, sorry, I promise I’m not always late._

_I’ll believe it when I see it_ . Beca jokes. _I really have to run, thanks Forrest. Theo, I’ll see you at five. I love you._

_Bye Mama._

Beca is in such a rush that she doesn’t seem to notice the woman watching them from the far corner of the yard.

* * *

Theo and Forrest walk into the classroom and Theo takes the same seat as yesterday, which now has a bright name tag with her name written neatly in blue sharpie. She puts her math book on her desk and waits for the teacher to tell them what to do. She hasn’t quite decided if small talk is worth it with Forrest yet; he’s so different than her last interpreter. 

For starters, he’s a lot younger. Ms. Kemp was ninety years old, or at least she seemed like it, and she didn’t socialize with Theo very much, unless she was translating what her teachers or the other kids were saying. She barely knew anything about her other than her husband had died and she had three kids that barely spoke to her; Beca told her that last part.

_Theo, you okay?_

Theo looks back at him and smiles. She nods and signs back,

_How old are you?_

_twenty-four. Why?_

_Just wondering._

Forrest smirks and nods his head. Ms. Laurel starts talking so he begins to sign, much faster now. This will definitely take some time to get used to.

_This morning, we’re going to do things a little differently. We are going to do our math problems with partners._

Theo’s cheeks blush, a deep red. She knows what’s about to happen. She watches all the other kids jump up to run to their friends. She waits, until she has to ask the teacher to force someone to join her or just do it by herself. She’s surprised when the same little girl from yesterday, the one with the red hair, walks up to her and starts to sign.

_Hi, my name is,_ She pauses, and really seems to focus before fumbling through finger spelling, _E-M-M-E-L-I-N-E._

_Hi, I’m Theo._

“That’s all I learned so far. Can you ask her if she wants to work together?’ She says to Forrest.

He chuckles and translates. Theo nods, a little more enthusiastically than she maybe should. Emmeline grabs her workbook and drags a chair over to Theo’s desk. Forrest adjusts so that he is in the middle of them. They work well together, Emmeline is patient, as everything needs to basically be said twice, but she doesn’t seem to mind. At the end of the activity, they get every answer right, and that’s the best Theo has ever done with math.

“Alright, everyone return to your seats, please.” Ms. Laurel says.

Emmeline hops up but stops and turns to ask,

“Do you want to sit with me at lunch today?”

Theo stares at Forrest after he translates, yesterday the two of them sat together, alone in the corner. No offense to him but this seems like a much better option.

_Yeah. That would be awesome._

_Okay cool._

* * *

Beca walks into her new studio. It’s a small indie label on the twelfth floor of a building in mid-town but it’s a lot better than the local radio station she was working at back home. She knows it will be a while before she’s allowed to do any actual production work. For now it will be, basically, like being an intern again.

“Beca, welcome.” Her new boss, Jason, greets her.

He’s young, younger than her, and this makes her feel a little strange.

“Hi Jason, sorry I’m a little late. I had to drop my daughter off at school and-”

“No worries, I’ll give you a pass today. How is Theo doing with the move?”

Beca is shocked that he remembers her name; she barely remembers mentioning it to him in the few conversations they’ve had.

“She’s doing okay. A little nervous, but that’s normal.”

“Definitely. And you, how are you feeling about everything?”

“Better now that I’m here.”

He lets out a light chuckle, “That’s what I like to hear. We have a mandatory staff meeting in half an hour and then another production meeting that I want you to sit in on right after.”

“Perfect.”

“Why don’t you go get settled, drop your stuff in your office and I’ll meet you back here to show you to the conference room.”

“My office?”

“Yeah.” He confirms and gestures to the glass door behind her, with her name engraved. 

“But I thought...”

“You’re good, Beca. We have big plans for you here, as long as you’re willing to put in the work.”

“Uh, yeah, of course. Yes.”

“Okay, we’ll talk more today, but for now just settle in.” He starts to walk away but turns to call back down the hall, “We’re really happy to have you here.”

Beca walks into her office and drops her bag on her big wooden desk. Her window overlooks Seventh Avenue. The bustle moving toward time square reminds her that she’s here; she’s made sacrifices and worked her ass off to get here. She can’t chicken out now.

* * *

Beca rushes into the school, it’s after five and she knows that Theo is going to be mad at her. She’s surprised when she walks into the school, down the hall, to the room that Ms. Finch said the after school program is held in. She stops when she hears Theo laughing. She peeks around the corner, hoping she isn’t spotted right away so she can catch a glimpse of what she’s like in this new place.

Theo is sitting at a table with another little girl. She has the reddest hair Beca has ever seen; she’s entrancing. They both have their heads down and markers in their hands. They are drawing furiously on a large piece of paper. They let out a few more giggles before Beca steps into the room. Forrest notices her first.

“Hey Beca.”

“Hey guys, how’s it going?”

_Mama, look._ Theo signs, still laughing. 

Beca doesn’t seem to understand what’s so funny about it but she smiles anyway. She leans down and kisses her head.

“How was her day?” She turns to Forrest to ask, while the girls are distracted.

“Really good. As you can see she made a new friend.”

Emmeline looks up at both of them and smiles. Beca smiles back at her.

“Sorry about that. I’ve had to pee since, like, noon.” An absolutely stunning woman with red hair and piercing blue eyes, says as she walks into the room. “Oh, uh, sorry.” She lets out a giggle.

“It’s fine.” Beca says, waving her off. She steps forward and extends her hand. “I’m Beca Mitchell, Theo’s mom.”

“Chloe Beale. Emmeline’s mom, and Theo’s art teacher.”

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

“You run the after school program?” Beca asks, gathering Theo’s things.

“Not exactly. Since they cut our budget it’s pretty much on a volunteer basis. But these guys need a place to go so I’m here a couple days a week.”

“Wow, that’s so nice.”

Their eyes meet. They stare at each other for a moment before Emmeline’s little voice cuts in.

“Theo’s mom?”

Beca gives a breathy chuckle and bends down to be closer to eye level.

“Can Theo come over to our house to play sometime?”

Beca kneels down in front of her and smiles. She feels like she could cry but she’ll save that for later.

“Of course, but you’ll have to ask your mom first.” Beca says, looking up from her new spot on the floor. “Thank you for being so nice to Theo. She’s very lucky to have a new friend like you.”

“Theo’s nice.”

It’s simple. Beca wishes every relationship could be that simple; be nice and others will be nice back to you. She looks over at her daughter who is following the conversation through Forrest’s interpreting. She looks over at Emmeline and smiles and signs something to her mom.

“She said that you’re nice too.” Beca stands back up and dusts off her knees. “And we have officially taken up too much of your time.”

_Let’s go, baby._

“Again, thank you, um,”

“Chloe.”

“Chloe. Right. Thank you. I guess, I’ll be seeing you around.”

“Yes, you will.”

Beca, Forrest, and Theo, leave the building. Forrest says his goodbyes and walks the opposite way toward the subway. Beca takes Theo’s hand and they walk home. The entire way she is unable to get those blue eyes out of her mind.

* * *

The next several days are the same. Work, school, FaceTime calls, and homework. Beca is certain she’s never been this tired in her entire life, not even when Theo was a newborn, but she’s just thankful Theo seems to be adjusting well; that’s all that matters. 

It’s late on Sunday morning, Beca looks outside and notices the sun peeking out from behind the clouds; it’s the first bit of sunshine they’ve had in a couple days. She walks over to where Theo is working on a puzzle. She sits down in front of her and pops a piece into place. This makes Theo look up at her so she can say,

_The sun is out, we should be too. You want to go to the park?_

Theo nods and hops up from her spot to go get dressed.

There’s a park half a block further than the school. Theo practically runs down the street, Beca struggles just a little to stay with her. The park is one place where Theo can almost fit in with the other kids. She’s fast, and strong, and that usually means the others kids pick her for their team in whatever they’re playing. 

As soon as the large play structure is in sight, Theo sprints over to it. Beca lets her go. She watches her climb and flip and be a kid. She’s come a long way from the parent she was when Theo was a toddler, just learning to walk. Back then she barely let Theo out of her arms, afraid that her balance would be compromised from her lack of hearing or that she would fall and get hurt, unable to call out for help.

“Well, hello there.”

Beca turns to see Chloe and Emmeline walking up behind her.

“Hi.” She’s so shocked she can’t seem to get anything else out.

“This is a coincidence.”

“Uh, yeah, Theo is over there, if you want to go find her.” Beca says, to Emmeline, who doesn’t pause before running off to find her friend.

Both mothers watch their girls greet each other and communicate through waves and gestures before running off to play some new made up game.

“It feels like weeks since we’ve been able to get outside.”

“You’re not kidding.”

Beca crosses her arms over her chest and bounces on the balls of her feet.

“Should we sit? Looks like we may be here a while.” Chloe says, gesturing to their girls, busy building some sort of structure with sticks.

“Sure.” They sit on the bench next to them, while keeping a watchful eye on the kids. “I wish making friends as an adult was as easy as it was when we were kids.”

“Seriously. These two can’t even talk to each other and they’re already besties.” 

As soon as the words leave her mouth, Chloe’s eyes widen and her head shoots sideways to look at Beca.

“Oh my Gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine. I mean, you’re not wrong.”

Beca gives her usual easy smile and shakes her head.

“I see where Theo gets it.”

“What’s that?”

“The charm.”

Beca’s eyes flicker over to her and she purses her lips.

“Not so sure about that. That kid is her own species. She’s always been so,” She chuckles and shakes her head, “so much more than me.”

She seems to shake herself out of whatever world she’s in and says,

“Not to mention she made me a big softie.”

“Yeah, they tend to do that to you.”

“What about you, and Emmeline, I mean she’s just the sweetest.”

Chloe smiles proudly and her eyes twinkle like a cartoon character.

“She’s pretty special. The other day after school when she told me she wanted to learn sign language I thought it was just one of her phases, you know? Then I met Theo and it all made sense. I think, for one reason or another, they were meant to find each other.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

They sit and talk for almost an hour, about Beca’s job, and Chloe’s job, and the weird things their kids do. They laugh and it’s easy. There’s a sudden, strong breeze. Carried on it is a strangled cry.

“Mommy!” Emmeline’s panicked voice comes immediately after.

Both of them are up and running toward the jungle gym. Beca would know that sound anywhere and it makes her arms go numb and her legs move faster than she thought possible. Theo is laying on the ground holding her left wrist. Tears are streaming down her cheeks and she is crying audibly; something she only does when she’s really upset. Beca bends down and waves to get her attention.

_Are you okay?_

Theo shakes her head.

_Your wrist. Anything else?_

Another shake. Her wrist is already starting to swell. Beca helps her up and holds her to her side.

“I need to, uh, I think it’s broken. I need to get her-”

“There’s a hospital down the street.”

Beca nods and follows Chloe. She feels out of control of her body. The longer Theo cries the more she feels like crying herself.

* * *

It takes almost an hour for anyone to see them. Theo is sitting on the exam table, with Beca’s sweater wrapped around her. She isn’t crying anymore, just staring down at the floor. Her wrist is resting on a pillow, and it seems to be getting bigger, and more purple, by the second. The doctor walks in, as if they hadn’t been waiting an obscenely long time for anyone to see them.

“Hello, you must be Theo.” He says, looking up from his clipboard. 

He seems ruffled when he isn’t met with a greeting.

“She’s deaf.” Beca says.

“Oh, okay. You’re her mother?”

“Yes.”

“What happened exactly?”

Beca shakes her head slowly, “I didn’t actually see it. She fell, I guess, at the park.”

“Can you ask her what happened?”

“You can.” She says, annoyed at his ability to suddenly pretend like Theo isn’t in the room. “I can translate, just talk to her like any other patient.”

He straightens his lab coat, clears his throat, and asks,

“Theo, can you tell me what happened?”

Beca translates and waits for Theo to tell her. 

_I fell out of the jungle gym._

Beca can tell by the look on her face, that’s not the whole story. But she doesn’t ask, not here.

“It looks like a bad sprain, but we’ll have to do x-rays to make sure.”

It takes nearly two hours for them to get the x-rays and for the doctor to come back to wrap her wrist. It turns out to be exactly what he said, a bad sprain. 

“Alright, we are all set, Theo. Keep the wrist wrapped for about a week and check in with her primary.”

Beca nods.

“But she’s good other than that?”

He nods, “Yeah, you can give her pain reliever to help with any soreness and swelling. Make sure to ice it at night and she should be pain free soon.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Of course.”

_Alright kid, let’s go home._

Theo climbs down from the exam table and leans into Beca’s side. What started out as a simple trip to the park has turned into a rather exhausting debacle. But if there’s anything Beca has learned from parenthood, it’s that things very rarely go the way you expect them to.

When they make it out to the waiting room Beca stops short, nearly sending Theo to the ground again. Chloe is sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. She’s looking down at her phone. Her knee is bouncing up and down and biting her thumbnail.

“Chloe, what are you doing here?”

“After I dropped Em off at her dad’s I just couldn’t get you guys out of my mind. I don’t have your number and I couldn’t wait until tomorrow at school to see how she was so I came back.”

“She’s okay, a nasty sprain.” She pauses to make sure Theo is distracted before she says this next part, “Was this your way of asking me for my number?”

Chloe giggles and tucks her hair behind her ear.

“Is this your way of offering it to me?”

Beca shrugs and reaches for Chloe’s phone. She puts in her number and hands it back. 

“I should be getting her home. Thank you for waiting.”

“Of course. I’m just glad she’s okay.”

When they get home they both go to change into their pajamas. When Beca is finally ready for bed, she walks into her room and Theo is under the covers, waiting for her. She looks so tiny in the queen sized bed. Beca joins her and finally asks what she’s been wanting to ask for hours now.

_You said you fell today. That isn’t true is it?_

_Not exactly._

_Are you going to tell me what happened?_

_I don’t want you to get mad._

_I won’t get mad. I promise._

Theo shrugs, _Me and Emmeline were playing. And these kids started laughing. I don’t know what they were saying but she looked mad so I think it was about me. Then she said something and they started pushing her. I tried to stop them but they pushed me too and I fell down and hurt my arm._

Beca feels her blood begin to boil. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened and it certainly won’t be the last. But she promised, so she does her best to swallow the anger, and continue the conversation.

_That must make you pretty upset._

_Not really. They just don’t understand. Emmeline doesn’t know those kinds of people aren’t worth it, but I’ll teach her._

Beca leans over and kisses her head. She pulls her in close for a tight hug before laying her back against the pillows.

_You are magnificent._

Theo laughs and rubs her eyes.

_Go to sleep now, my little pacifist. You’ve got school tomorrow._

* * *

“Late again, Forrest?” Beca asks, leaning against the fence.

“Sorry, go, go I’ve got her.”

Beca gives Theo a kiss and is off as quickly as possible.

_Are you ever gonna be on time?_

_Give me a break, huh? You’re worse than your mom. How’s your hand?_

Beca texted Forrest the night before to give him a heads up.

_It makes signing kind of hard but it doesn’t hurt too bad._

_That’s good._

They walk inside and take their seats in the classroom. As soon as they’re settled, Emmeline rushes over and stands in front of Theo’s desk.

“Are you okay?”

_Yeah. Are you?_

“Yeah.”

_Thanks for sticking up for me yesterday._

“How did you know?”

Theo shrugs, _I could tell. It’s not the first time it’s happened. And I get if you don’t want to be my friend anymore._

Forrest waits with bated breath for her response. He’d be lying if he said this is the part of the job he was the most nervous about; being an observer to everything Theo goes through without being able to do much about it.

“What? No way. Just because they’re mean doesn’t mean I have to be.”

Theo smiles and nods. Emmeline takes her seat when Ms. Laurel starts to talk. The rest of the day goes by quickly. Theo never thought she would like school, but it’s quickly turning into one of her favorite places.

* * *

_Mama, can Emmeline come over to play this weekend?_

_She’d have to ask her mom first. But I don’t have a problem with it._

_Can you ask Ms. Beale? You got her number the other day._

_How did you know that?_

Theo shrugs. Beca always thinks she looks the most like her in moments like this; just a little smug.

_I knew you were getting better at reading lips. I will ask. Go finish your homework, please._

Theo bounces off down the hall to her bedroom. Beca picks up her phone and can’t figure out why she’s nervous. She types out three different messages before taking a deep breath and just sending whatever sounds the least idiotic. There is a nearly instant reply.

‘Em, was just asking me the same thing. I think they planned it. We would love to come over.’

Something about the wording makes Beca’s stomach fill with butterflies. She clears her throat and shifts in her chair, embarrassed despite the fact that there is no one in the room.

‘Great! Does Sunday at 1 work for you?’

‘Sounds good. :)’

‘Perfect! We will see you then! Theo will be psyched!’

She puts her phone down on the table, and sighs, “That was too many exclamation marks.”

* * *

It’s nearly one o’clock on Sunday and Beca isn’t sure how the days went by so fast. She finds herself pacing the living room. She wishes she had unpacked more boxes; how are there still so many damn boxes, when did they get so much stuff? She wishes she had cleaned a little more, it’s too late for that. She wishes a lot of things, but mostly she wishes that she wasn’t feeling so anxious. Maybe more than that, she wishes she knew why she was feeling this way.

_Are you okay? Theo asks._

_Yeah, why?_

_You’re being weird._

_Am not. You are. Weirdo._

Theo smirks, more than used to her mother's quirks. She shakes her head and continues setting up her dolls for their play date with Emmeline’s dolls. Emmeline is the closest thing she’s ever had to a best friend and she’s a little nervous. She can tell her mom is too, although she doesn’t really know why.

_They’re here._

Beca signs before moving over to the door. She opens it quickly, nearly hitting herself in the face.

“Hey guys, come on in.”

Chloe and Emmeline step in. Emmeline runs over to Theo and holds up her doll. Theo gestures to her elaborate setup that is taking up a majority of the living room at this point. They start playing, wordlessly, just as they did the other day. Beca chuckles and Chloe beams, proudly.

“Well, looks like they don’t need us.” Beca says, “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

“Sounds good. Emmeline was practicing her signs all night last night.”

Beca takes a deep inhale to keep herself from tearing up. She turns to busy herself with the coffee so Chloe doesn’t see.

“I’m just so happy she has a friend. Back home, in Portland, there weren’t many kids that could be bothered to slow down long enough to play with her.”

The conversation falls flat, as it usually does when their past struggles are mentioned. Beca turns back around and notices Chloe’s own tears, barely glazing her eyes.

“It must be very hard.”

“It can be. But she’s tough.”

“Like her Mama.” Chloe says, lifting her mug to cheers it. Beca obliges, although she feels a little dumb doing it.

“I’d like to think so. It’s just...” She trails off.

“What?”

Something about Chloe’s look of genuine curiosity makes Beca continue.

“Her having a friend is one less thing I have to worry about, you know?”

“Yeah, we all worry about our kids fitting in, I guess.”

Beca shakes her head, “It’s not just that. I worry all the time, you know, about everything; like what if she’s sleeping and the fire alarm goes off and I can’t get to her, or if a car is about to hit her when crossing the street and she can’t hear the horn. And then there’s the big stuff, like what it’s going to be like for her when she tries to go off and live on her own, or have kids.”

“You’re a mom. You’re supposed to worry.”

Beca nods, slowly.

“Yeah, sometimes I think I was just tasked with a little more worry than most.”

“Maybe.” Chloe shrugs. She knows Beca is right. “Theo’s lucky though. She was given a mom who fights for her, there are a lot of people out there that would have decided that it’s all too much.”

“Her dad.” Beca answers, quickly and earnestly, it surprises even her. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Sometimes I wish Emmeline’s dad wasn’t around. Then I feel guilty because every kid deserves both of their parents.”

“But not every parent deserves their kid.”

Tears pool in Chloe’s eyes. She’s never had anyone understand her the way this woman does. They’ve only just met and yet she’s bared more to her than most of the other people in her life.

“Who is he?”

Chloe takes another sip of her drink before placing it down gently. She taps the ceramic with her nails a couple times before she looks back up.

“His name is Lucas. We dated in high school and broke up before graduation. A few years later, after I was done with school, we ran into each other at a bar one night. One thing led to another and nine months later, there was Em.”

“You two weren’t together?”

“No, we knew, even in high school, that we weren’t meant for each other. He’s married now. They just had a baby boy.”

“That still must be hard.”

“It can be; having to share my daughter with another woman, no matter how much I like her, isn’t easy. Emmeline having a baby brother from someone who isn’t me is also weird; I haven’t quite gotten used to that one yet. I thought choosing not to be with him when I was eighteen meant that there would be no strings. We were young then, you know? We had nothing to offer each other which meant that there weren’t that many ways we could screw each other up. But we managed to do it anyway.”

“No one escapes any relationship without being at least a little more damaged than they were when they entered it. Otherwise what’s the point?”

Chloe lets out a humorless laugh. The sound sends shivers down Beca’s spine and she suddenly can’t peel her eyes off of her.

“What about you and Theo’s dad?”

Beca shrugs, “Not much to tell. We were together for two years, we were going to get married but then Theo was born. We were told she may be deaf a few weeks after she was born and even then I could feel him pulling away; he barely looked at her, wouldn’t hold her. It was confirmed when she was three months old and the next day he was gone.”

“That’s horrible. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m not. Like I said, not every parent deserves their kid and he definitely doesn’t deserve my daughter. She’s a bigger person at nine years old than he ever could be.”

Chloe reaches across the table and grabs Beca’s hand. She squeezes it and they lock eyes again. This time it’s different; deeper, longer, more intense than before.

They are both pulled from the moment when the girls appear in the doorway. Theo walks over to Beca and taps her shoulder.

_What’s up, kid?_

_Can we have a sleepover?_

Beca turns to Chloe, “The girls would like to know if they can have a sleepover.”

“Oh, they would,” Chloe says with a smirk, pointed at her daughter, “Smart move, asking us in front of each other.”

Beca chuckles.

“Not tonight, Em. But we can definitely do it another night.”

“Really?” Emmeline asks, already excited about the idea, “Can we do it at our house?”

Chloe’s smile disappears and she clears her throat.

“We’ll figure that all out later.” Chloe says.

With the simple promise the girls run off, back into the living room.

“It’s okay, you know?”

Chloe turns, sheepishly, “What is?”

“That you don’t know sign language; that you can’t talk to Theo. We’re kind of used to it.” 

Beca has managed to keep her easy smile. It’s true. They are used to making accommodations for people. It’s not the way it should be, but it’s the way it’s always been. It’s the way of the world; at least for now.

“I’m sorry. It’s just I’ve never known anyone that’s, um,”

“Deaf. It’s not a dirty word.”

Their attention is pulled to the girls’ laughter in the living room.

“I wish adults could be more like that - they don’t see anything wrong, or bad, just different. They don’t even need to talk to be friends, you know?”

“Being different is most people’s biggest fear.”

“And my kid has already conquered that.” Beca scoffs, “But people look at her like she’s the weak one. Crazy right?”

“Yeah.” 

The quiet between them expands. Neither of them can place it but there’s a strong feeling between them. It’s a mutual respect, from single mother to single mother, but it’s much more than that; almost like familiarity, despite the fact that they’ve only just met.

“But we will definitely have to schedule that sleepover or else we’ll never hear the end of it.” Beca says, changing the subject to escape the moment that is quickly turning awkward, “We can do it here.”

“As long as you don’t mind.” Chloe says, yielding to Beca.

“Fine by me.”

“I would offer to have them at my place but-”

“There’s no interpreter.” Beca says. “It’s fine, believe me.”

  
  


That night after Chloe and Emmeline have gone home, Beca walks into her bedroom. Theo is tucked under the covers. She is looking at a book that Emmeline brought her; apparently it’s one of her favorites. Her brow is furrowed and she is biting her lower lip. She has her free hand gripping her stuffed giraffe. It’s torn and dirty, but it will be pulled from her cold, dead hands before Beca is able to get rid of it.

Beca walks over and taps the book to make Theo look up at her.

_Good book?_

_Yes._

She looks back down, ready to continue reading, but Beca taps it again.

_It will have to wait until tomorrow. It’s bedtime._

_Five more minutes, please?_

_No ma’am, it’s late. You have school tomorrow._

_Fine._

Theo puts the book on the bedside table. She rolls onto her side to face Beca.

_You had fun today, didn’t you?_

_So much fun. It’s nice having a friend._

Beca gives her a kiss and turns off the light. She rolls to her other side so Theo can’t see the few stray tears drip down her cheek. She takes a deep breath to pull herself together. Theo is right, it’s nice, for both of them, to have a friend.


	2. You will only be eternally, the one that I belong to

The next several weeks go by, more quickly than Beca could have ever anticipated. They fall into a routine, they get comfortable, and it’s more than she could have asked for. It feels, in so many ways, like they’ve spent their whole lives in New York. Beca is doing well at work, Theo has friends - well, one to be exact, but that’s more than she’s ever had before. They’re happy.

_ So, what are you guys doing for Christmas? _ Forrest asks, while he and Theo walk down the hall to Chloe’s classroom for after school care.

_ We’re going to Portland to see my grandma for two weeks. _

_ That will be fun.  _

_ Yeah, she said she’s excited. I am too, I guess. _

_ You don’t seem so sure. _

_ It’s weird. I don’t want to leave here. _

She means it. She misses her grandmother, of course, but she doesn’t want to miss any part of her new life, not for a second.

_ I don’t really want you to leave either. You’re my best friend. _ Forrest says.

Theo smiles, _ That’s a little sad. _

_ Why? I see you more than my other friends. Are we not friends? _ He asks, with a smile on his face.

_ We’re friends. _ She agrees.  _ What are you doing for Christmas? _

_ I’ll probably order some takeout and watch movies. _

_ You aren’t going to open presents with your family? _

He sighs. She watches the change in his body language and she suddenly feels like she said something wrong. He gives a smile, but it’s different now. His eyes look sad and his shoulders have dropped.

_ I don’t really have any family. My mom died when I was little and me and my dad never got along.  _

_ I’m sorry. _

_ It’s okay. _ He says, shaking himself off,  _ I have my friends, I have you and your mom. You guys have been so nice to me. That’s all I need. _

_ You could come to Portland with us.  _ Theo offers.

_ No, I couldn’t. That's your time with your grandma. She must miss you a lot, I don’t want to impose. _

She doesn’t know what impose means but she figures, from context, that it isn’t good. She can’t look at him for the rest of the afternoon without feeling sad.

That afternoon, Emmeline has already left to be with her dad and Forrest had to leave early for an appointment. The room is in complete silence, just she and Chloe, waiting for Beca. Chloe wishes she could talk to her, she wishes she could hear her voice. She wonders how Beca does it. How she can live with this silence all the time. Theo looks up from her book and smiles at Chloe, she returns it before Theo tilts her head back down.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late.”

“Rough day?” Chloe asks, smirking when she sees Beca’s flustered appearance.

“Uh, yeah, we’re trying to make all our deadlines before Christmas, so it’s a little…” She searches for the right word, before settling on, “tense.”

“Got it.” Chloe says with a chuckle, “Well, Theo and I have had some nice quality time.”

“She talk your ear off, did she?”

The two of them have spent many weekend afternoons watching the girls play, they’ve gotten coffee, and made dinners together. Beca has never had a friend like Chloe and she’s extremely grateful for her.

Beca walks over and taps the book.

_ Hi Mama _

_ Hi baby, are you ready to go? _

_ Can I finish this page? _

_ Yeah, then we have to go. I’m sure Ms. Beale wants to go home. _

Chloe has picked up a few signs from watching Beca and Theo so closely. She would be lying if she said she hasn’t, secretly, been trying to learn as well. Emmeline has taught her the handful of signs she’s learned but it’s nothing close to conversational yet.

“Thank you so much for staying with her. I know this is the start of your Christmas break.”

Chloe waves her off, “I’m not all that excited to start my vacation. I hate the years Emmeline is with her dad for Christmas.”

“Yeah, that’s, um, I’m sorry.”

Chloe puts her usual smile on her face. To most people, Chloe Beale is the bubbly, happy-go-lucky, art teacher with the bright hair and even brighter dresses. But over the past few weeks, Beca has seen she is much more than that. She’s deceptively complex and Beca can’t place why, but she wants so badly to understand those depths.

“But you’re going to see your mom, right? She must be so excited.”

“It’s all she’s talked about during our facetime calls for the last month.” Beca says, pretending like she isn’t just as excited. “She’s insisted on getting a real Christmas tree, and she’s running up her electric bill with all the lights she’s strung up.”

Beca realizes talking about her mom is definitely not helping Chloe’s mood. Theo walks up next to her and wraps her arms around Beca’s waist.

“Do you have any dinner plans?”

“No, I can’t say I do.” 

“Why don’t you come to our place? We were going to order some Chinese and Theo will probably kick my ass playing Monopoly.”

“That sounds nice. I would love to.”

As soon as they’re in the apartment, Theo runs off to her room; Jett right on her heels. Chloe follows Beca into the kitchen. She pours them each a glass of wine and they sit at the kitchen table. Beca has noticed, they always sit in the same seats. It’s small, but it’s predictable and she likes that. 

“So where did Lucas take Emmeline?”

Chloe takes a sip of her wine before she says, “To Florida. They’re spending the holidays with his in-laws.”

“I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s okay. I just miss her already and she hasn’t even been gone three hours yet. It would be easier if I didn’t like her, you know? Lucas’ wife, but she’s great. She’s good with Em and she gets Lucas in a way I will never understand.”

“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yes, of course it is. I want Emmeline to know that we’re all here for her, that we’ll always work together to be whatever she needs us to be. I’m just so… angry. And I have nowhere to put it.”

Chloe looks at her, in disbelief. She’s never said those words out loud. She’s barely allowed herself to think them. But now that they are out in the world, she feels a little bit better. 

“I can only imagine. You’re a much better person than I am because if someone expected me to give Theo up for, even one, Christmas I would punch them.”

Just like that, the tension is broken. Chloe laughs and Beca smiles and they fall into their newly formed bubble of comfort. They eat dinner, and this time Beca doesn’t have to stop talking when Theo is focused on using her chopsticks. The quiet, that is nearly always present, in their apartment is replaced with conversation and light and fun. They play a game of Monopoly that goes on much too long for Beca’s liking, and as always, Theo wins.

“That kid is going to be a CFO or something someday.” Beca says, while standing at the sink, finishing up the dishes.

She hands a plate to Chloe and she dries it with a rag.

“She is definitely going to be something amazing.”

Beca leans over and looks out the window. There are large snowflakes coming down in sheets. In the glow of the streetlight she can see it piling up onto the street and sidewalk.

“Holy shit, when did it start snowing?”

“Oh my Gosh, I have no idea.” 

Chloe looks at the clock and realizes it’s already ten thirty.

“I should probably go before it gets any worse.”

“You’re not walking in that.”

“I’ll call an Uber.”

“If there are any around. Look, I’m not going to stop you but I think it might be safest if you stay here.”

It startles both of them. If they weren’t who they are, the offer wouldn’t even register as strange. It would simply be neighborly, but for some reason it feels heavy.

“Oh, um.”

“I mean, if you want to. If it’s weird or you want to go home-”

“Beca, thank you.”

There’s a loud cry from down the hallway. Beca is moving in an instant. She rushes down the hall and pushes Theo’s door open. She’s sitting up in her bed with hot tears streaming down her face. As soon as she sees Beca her arms are outstretched. Beca wraps her up and sits on the edge of the bed.

“Sh, you’re okay. You’re alright. It was just a nightmare.”

She knows she can’t hear her. She can’t see her lips moving, with her face buried into her chest but she hopes the vibrations are enough. She lays them both back down onto the bed and she starts singing. It’s the same old melody she’s sung since Theo was in her stomach.

Chloe leans against the wall, just outside the bedroom, unseen to listen to her gentle voice. It’s even and warm. It makes her stomach ache with the thought of her own daughter so far away from her. This is exactly what she would do for Emmeline. It’s strange knowing that despite how vastly different their children are, their versions of parenthood look very much the same.

  
  


Beca walks back into the kitchen after Theo has fallen asleep.

“You sing to her.”

It isn’t a question and Beca couldn’t be more thankful. Still she feels the need to explain.

“Yeah, I started when I was pregnant. Then when she was a newborn the vibrations seemed to soothe her. By the time she got older the habit had already formed. Weirdly, sometimes it’s the only thing that works.”

“You’re amazing.” 

It slips out and hangs in the air between them. Chloe’s mouth drops open, just slightly, but she doesn’t take it back, she doesn’t talk over it. She lets it stay.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know about that. I’ll get you some blankets. I hope the couch is alright.”

“Perfect.”

* * *

Beca rolls over in bed, as the very beginning of daylight starts to stream in through her curtains. Her arm lands on Theo’s stomach and she feels it moving up and down. The air is cold, the kind of cold that makes you want to wrap up in your blankets and sleep the entire day away but she forces herself up because there’s a guest sleeping on their couch. She gets dressed and tiptoes down the hall. She isn’t used to having to sneak around; there’s never any reason to. 

She’s surprised when she walks out to the kitchen and Chloe is sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee in front of her. It’s nice, to have someone, over the age of ten, to wake up to. Someone who she can speak, actually speak to, to say good morning. She feels guilty for thinking this but she pushes it aside when Chloe says,

“Good morning, coffee is still hot.”

“Thanks, how did you sleep?”

“Very well, thank you. Your couch is more comfortable than it looks.”

“Taking digs at my couch? Come on man, it’s not even eight AM yet.”

“Sorry,” Chloe says through a giggle, “why are you up so early?”

Beca pours herself a cup and sits down across from her. 

“I’m always up this early. Ever since Theo was born.”

“They do like to wake with the sun, don’t they?”

“Yeah, what the hell is with that?”

Theo walks out into the kitchen. She’s rubbing her eye with the heel of her hand. Her hair is a rat’s nest on top of her head and her feet barely lift off the ground with each step.

“Speak of the devil.”

She sits in Beca’s lap, still small enough to make herself very comfortable there. Beca kisses her hair and rests her cheek against the top of her head.

_ Good morning. _ Chloe signs. 

Theo lifts her head, just barely, and smiles before signing back.

_ Good morning. _

Beca smiles and Chloe notices how similar their smiles are. Theo is a miniature Beca, they have the same hair, the same eyes, and the same sense of humor. She doesn’t know why she never noticed that their smiles are the same until now.

“I can’t believe it’s still snowing.” Chloe says, looking out the small kitchen window.

At the same time, Theo seems to notice the snow. She hops up and runs over to look out on the street below.. Her eyes go wide. She turns and starts signing as quickly as she can.

_ Mama, there’s so much snow. Can we go build a snowman, please? _

_ Not while it’s still snowing. You’ll get sick. But maybe later. _

Theo nods and goes to the living room to watch television, just like she does every Saturday morning. Chloe watches her and waits for the volume to blare, the way Emmeline always keeps it, before she sees the closed captioning and realizes she doesn’t need it to.

Beca’s phone chimes on the table and she opens the message, “Damn it.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Our flight’s been cancelled. We were supposed to leave tonight but they’re expecting the storm to keep up for another day or two.”

“Beca, I’m so sorry. I know how excited you all are.”

“We’ll never make it in time for Christmas now.”

Beca sits back in her chair and sighs. She rubs her temple before mumbling,

“How am I gonna tell Theo?”

“She’ll understand. It’s out of your control.”

“She’s nine. I don’t think that really matters. All her gifts are already there. She’s going to think Santa forgot about her.”

The sentence, if it were spoken at any other time, would sound completely ridiculous, but right now it’s devastating. Chloe looks over at the little girl on the couch and she feels her heart ache. 

“Then we’ll have Christmas here. Together.” Chloe says, determined.

“You don’t have to-”

“Please, it would be saving me from a day of self-pity and binge watching the Real Housewives.”

“Uh, okay then.”

Beca walks into the room, with Chloe right behind her. Theo is lying on her side on the couch, absorbed in some show about cartoon frogs. Beca turns it off, forcing an aggravated look.

_ We need to talk for a second, kid. _

_ What’s wrong? _

Beca knows there’s never any use trying to hide her emotions. Theo has spent most of her life studying facial expressions and body language. She can usually tell what Beca is thinking before Beca knows herself. She gives a saddened smile and says simply,

_ We can’t go to Grandma’s for Christmas. There’s too much snow and the plane can’t fly. _

_ Oh. _

_ I know. It’s not what we planned, but we are still going to have Christmas. I promise. The three of us will do it here. We can bake cookies and play games. _

_ Can we invite Forrest? _

_ Babe, I’m sure he has his own plans. _

_ No, he doesn’t. He told me. _

_ Sure, I can invite him.  _ Beca says, proud of her daughter’s kind heart.

_ Okay. Cool. _

Theo hops off the couch and nearly skips down the hallway. Chloe has been a silent observer through the conversation. She caught one or two signs that she’s learned but mostly gathered what she needed to know through facial expressions.

“Is it just me or did she seem happy about all this?”

“It’s not just you.”

“That’s weird.” Beca says, but decides she’ll circle back to that later. “So, should we decorate or something?”

“Do you have decorations?”

“Nope.”

“You’re in luck then. I have a box of stuff at my place. The snow is letting up so I’ll head home and bring them by in the morning”

“It’s crazy tomorrow is already Christmas Eve.”

“Tell me about it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She heads for the door but is stopped by Beca saying,

“Chloe, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“You’re not just doing this because we, I mean, because Theo is…”

“Deaf?”

Beca shrugs and waits, with bated breath, for the answer.

“No, I’m doing this because,” 

She pauses. She can’t figure out why exactly it is that she’s doing all of this. She supposes it’s because she and Beca are friends. Maybe there is a little guilt there too.

“I’m doing it because everyone deserves a Christmas.”

She leaves and with her, the light and noise is also gone. Beca sits on the couch, unable to move for several minutes.

* * *

_ Alright, T. It’s time for bed, say good night to Grandma. _

Theo has been on facetime with her mother for nearly an hour. It’s hit them both pretty hard that this will be the first Christmas since Theo was born that they won’t be spending together.

_ Good night, Grandma. I love you. _

_ I love you the most, my sweet girl. Have a good sleep and I will talk to you soon. _

Theo blows a kiss and hands the phone to Beca.

_ Go get into bed. I’ll be in soon to tuck you in. _

Theo does as she’s told. Beca focuses back on the phone screen and gives a tired smile.

“So Theo told me you girls will be spending Christmas with Chloe?”

“Mhm. And Forrest, Theo was insistent I invite him. I guess he doesn’t have any family. It won’t be the same, but it will still be nice, I guess.”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with this Chloe, haven’t you?”

“We’re friends, mom. And Theo and Emmeline are basically obsessed with each other. I don’t think we have much of a choice.”

“You have a choice.” Her mother says, with a smirk. 

Beca would know that smirk anywhere. It means that she isn’t going to like whatever she’s about to say next.

Beca pushes the hair out of her face and rests her head against the back of the couch.

“It’s just I haven’t heard you talk this much about someone since Joe.”

Beca scoffs, “What the hell are you talking about? This is nothing like that.”

“Why not?”

“She’s a woman for starters.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

Beca’s blood begins to boil. She doesn’t know why she’s having any kind of reaction at all, let alone anger. But she decides enough is enough and it’s time for her to go.

“Alright, crazy lady, I’m going to tuck my child into bed. I will talk to you later.”

“I’ll talk to you later. I love you, baby.”

“I love you more.”

Beca hangs up the call and goes to Theo’s bedroom. She isn’t surprised that she’s already asleep. She kisses her cheek, turns off her light and closes the door halfway. As soon as her head hits the pillow she lets out a contented sigh. But she feels the furthest thing from relaxed. Her mother’s words play in her head on repeat.

She’s wrong. She can’t possibly be right.

* * *

_ Merry Christmas, Mama _

Beca smiles at her daughter, curled up beside her in bed.

_ Merry Christmas, baby. We’re going to have fun today. I know it’s not what we planned… _

_ That’s okay. I like when Ms. Beale is here. _

_ You do? _

_ Yes. I wish Emmeline was here too. But Ms. Beale is nice. She doesn’t look at me weird like all the other grown ups at school do. She’s good at art and she’s pretty. _

Beca scoffs at the last comment. The fact that Theo likes her so much is comforting. 

_ We should get up and ready. Our guests will be here in a couple hours and we still have some stuff to do. _

Theo jumps up and runs out of the room. Beca is hanging the fake wreath she and Theo made last night on the wall. When she comes into the living room a little while later she is wearing the outfit she picked for Christmas dinner; a red dress with a sequin candy cane on it. Beca is taken, for just a moment, by how old she looks. It feels like it was just yesterday that Theo was born. Yet, everyday she is astounded by how big she is, how much she’s learned, and how mature she is.

_ I’m ready. _

_ Good. Can you get the door? _

Theo bounces over to the door and opens it. Forrest is standing there with a goofy grin on his face. He’s dressed in a white button up with a candy cane bowtie. His coat has a dusting of snow on the shoulders and he looks cold. 

_ Hi Forrest, come in. _

He hands Beca a box, that Theo assumes is a pie, and places a gift bag down on the table before he signs back,

_ Theo you look great. I love your dress. _

_ We match. _ She says, pointing to his candy canes then hers.

_ We certainly do. Merry Christmas. _

_ Merry Christmas. _

“Merry Christmas, Beca. I’m sorry you guys couldn’t make it to Portland.”

“Us too. But we’re happy you’re here.”

“Thanks for having me. Chloe’s coming?”

“Uh, yeah she kind of orchestrated this whole thing.”

“That was nice of her to do all of this for Theo.”

Beca nods. She doesn’t say anything else. Her mother’s words come back into her mind but she tries her best to shake them away.

“Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, water, beer?”

He looks to Theo.

“It’s okay, Forrest. You can have a beer.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Before Beca can pop the top off, there’s a gentle knock at the door.

“I’ll get it.” Forrest says, standing from his spot on the couch.

Chloe is standing there when he opens it. Beca stops when she walks through the door. She looks beautiful in her green sweater. It somehow makes her hair look even redder than normal. 

“Merry Christmas.” She greets everyone. She signs it to Theo who looks pleased. “Beca the place looks amazing.”

Beca was up half the night decorating after Theo went to sleep. She wanted it to be a surprise. 

“It smells amazing in here too.” 

Beca, although she doesn’t do it often, is a very good cook. She and her mother spent a lot of time in the kitchen while she was growing up. Then after Theo was born, her mother became determined to teach her as many of their family recipes as she could. Theo pulls on Chloe’s hand and leads her over to her small easel in the corner. There is a painting that she’s been working on for a couple days, hanging there.

_ It’s beautiful. _

_ Thank you. _

Beca stands still, watching Chloe interact with her daughter. It’s unlike anything she’s ever seen another adult do. There is always hesitation when someone is trying to talk to Theo. There’s fear that they’ll say, or do, the wrong thing. But Chloe is the same with Theo as she is with everyone else. 

“You are quite the talented artist, my friend.” Chloe says, Forrest has moved over to them and is translating. “Do you think you want to be an artist someday?”

Theo shakes her head, “No, I want to be a teacher for deaf kids.”

“I think you would be amazing at that.”

Theo quickly loses interest in the conversation and goes to play with her dolls, letting the adults have their own conversation.

“She is talented, isn’t she?” Forrest says, gesturing toward the now abandoned easel.

“Yes. She is.” Chloe says.

She genuinely looks impressed and Forrest can tell she means it. He doesn’t think there’s an insincere bone in her body. He’s watched her during Theo’s art classes. Her excitement for her students, the way her eyes light up when she laughs, and her voice tilts up at the end of her sentences, just barely, all make her seem too good to be true. And yet, here she is. 

“She’s an amazing kid.” Forrest says.

He isn’t sure if Beca can hear them from the kitchen but he keeps his voice low, a little embarrassed.

“She’s the first kid I’ve worked with outside of my internships. I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it, you know? Until I met Theo.”

Chloe turns and looks at him. 

“The way she looks at you, is just... “

“She’s special.” Chloe says. “And special people tend to gravitate toward other special people.”

Forrest feels his cheeks blush. He focuses his attention down on his shoes. He rubs the back of his neck and scoffs.

“Alright, are we ready to eat?” Beca calls, peeking her head into the living room.

“Yes.” Forrest says, quickly, ready to focus attention on something other than himself; although admittedly, he did it to himself.

“Before we eat, I just want to say something.” Beca says, her words are slow, unsure, “I want to thank you, both of you, for being here today, and every day. When we moved here, I didn’t know a single person. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it; work full time at my new job and take care of Theo the way she deserves.” 

Theo looks at her from her seat across from her and she smiles.

“But with all of your help, we’ve been able to make it work so far. So I want to thank you. It means more than you’ll ever know.” Beca turns the other way to Chloe, “Don’t cry, dude, come on.”

Chloe sniffles and wipes under her left eye.

“I’m sorry, that was just really sweet.”

“I meant every word.” Beca says, truthfully. 

Their eyes linger on each other for a moment. Neither of them want to be the first to break. Theo looks at Forrest, she raises an eyebrow that makes him laugh. He covers his mouth with his hand and signs,

_ Stop it. _

The rest of the night is like a dream. It’s warm and fun and there’s music and games and presents; homemade from whatever Chloe and Beca could find around their apartments. Forrest came prepared with gifts for all three of them.

_ Mama look. _

Theo holds up another new sketchbook, much like the one he gave her the day they first met. She also has a small stuffed dog, tucked under her arm, that looks a lot like Jett. 

_ Wow, what do you say? _

_ Thank you. _

_ You’re welcome. _

“There’s one more.” Chloe says, handing Beca a wrapped gift.

She eyes her suspiciously, she hadn’t expected any gifts for herself; they had only discussed getting a few small things for Theo.

“Come on, open it.”

Beca tears the red and gold paper and peels it back carefully. It’s something in a frame. When she turns it around she is met with a gorgeous pencil drawing of Theo. She’s surrounded by flowers. 

“Oh my God.”

“I was going to paint it, but I was a little rushed for time.”

“It’s…”

She doesn’t know what to say. She’s never seen anything more beautiful in her life, except for the real thing, sitting on the floor in front of her. She puts her hand over her mouth and hopes all of the emotions stay inside.

_ it's me. _ ITheo signs, a grin that’s almost too big for her face is pulling at her cheeks.

_ It is.  _ Beca says, _ Do you like it? _

_ I love it. _

“It’s Theo approved.”

“Oh good, I’m glad. It’s just my way of saying thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“For taking me and Emmeline into your world. For making me feel a little less alone.”

Beca can’t seem to look away from her this time. Forrest shifts in his seat and clears his throat. 

“It’s getting late, I should probably get going.” 

He stands and pulls a small piece of Theo’s hair. She swats him away and signs,

_ Bye Forrest, thank you for my gifts. _

_ You’re welcome. Thank you for inviting me. _

She stands up and hugs him. He stiffens a little, he doesn’t seem to know what to do, but after a few seconds he melts into it and hugs her back.

_ I’ll see you after the New Year. _

_ Merry Christmas. _

He thanks Beca and says goodbye to Chloe before leaving the apartment. Beca looks at the clock and realizes it is way past Theo’s bedtime. She can see on her face that she’s tired, fighting sleep and milking the lack of structure that the holidays always bring.

_ Time for bed, T. _

_ Five more minutes? _

_ No ma’am. Now. We’ll play with all your new stuff tomorrow. I promise. _

Theo’s shoulders slump and she pouts..

“I’ll be five minutes.”

“Take your time.” 

Chloe says before turning to Theo.

_ Good night. _

_ Good night. Thank you for my Christmas. _

Theo turns and walks away, leaving Beca to translate. The words melt her heart; her heart that seems to have grown three sizes since meeting the Mitchell girls. She shakes her head and takes a deep breath.

_ Did you have a good Christmas? _

_ The best. _

_ Really? This is the best Christmas ever? Nice to know, I won’t have to buy presents next year. _

Theo’s eyes widen and she shakes her head. Beca laughs and kisses her temple.

_ Don’t worry. Grandma told me that Santa came and brought all your presents to her house. We’ll get them in a couple days when we go. _

Theo nods. Her eyes are already drooping and her head lolls to one side and then the other before finding a comfortable place on her pillow. Jett is already sound asleep against her leg, snoring happily. Christmas was a success after all.

“That was very fast.”

“She was exhausted.”

“We managed to pull it off.” Chloe says.

Beca sits on the couch next to her and nods, slowly. They’ve never been so close before. She can smell Chloe’s perfume. It’s mixing with the wine on her breath. She watches her perfectly shaped lips as she says,

“Did Theo have a good Christmas?”

“She did.” Beca says, her voice is suddenly raspy, her throat dry, “Seriously, thank you again. You did not have to go through so much trouble. And that drawing is just…” 

She is still somehow unable to find the words to describe it.

“And did you? Have a good Christmas?” Chloe asks.

“I did. It’s the best one I’ve had in a long time.”

She should be exhausted. It’s been a very long day. Yet, her entire body feels like there’s electricity running through it. When she looks at Chloe she feels a jolt, like a shock to her system. She feels more awake than she’s ever felt. She can feel her heartbeat, thumping in her chest; she can hear it in her ears. She feels all the heat from her limbs rush to her cheeks when she leans forward to press her lips against Chloe’s.

There’s a small part of her, somewhere deep in her brain, that’s screaming at her to stop. That she’s going to ruin everything. When Chloe kisses her back, all she hears is silence. She suddenly understands what her daughter hears, or rather what she doesn’t. The complete silence that allows her to be completely, utterly, immersed in a single moment.

“And there wasn’t even any mistletoe.” Chloe whispers, then laughs.

It’s breathy and warm. Beca has to close her eyes for a moment to keep herself from getting dizzy. Her mother’s words start buzzing around her brain again. Beca was right about them though. She was wrong. This is nothing like what she had with Joe. She already knows, this has to be so much more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me @ www.lastchildofkrypton.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me @ www.lastchildofkrypton.tumblr.com


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